SE Customs Now Manufactured in Indonesia?

[Sir Stinkalot]

I was told that there was currently a 4 month back order on SEs.

I have been keeping an eye on the SE Custom 24 Zebrawood at Andertons in the UK as they are one of the few stores outside of the USA who lists an expected date. It had recently changed from April 6th to April 27th. Sweetwater don't seem to be able to get sufficient stock.

The one I ordered locally in Australia was expected mid December and no sign of it yet unfortunately. At the end of the day however, as much as I would love to be playing a new guitar, I am happy to wait if it lives up to the quality that all of the previous reviews rave about. I would rather wait and get great than to get sooner and shoddy

 

[Hotspur]

Whale Blue is weird to me, anyway. I have a Whale Blue Artist Package SC250 and it is DARK unless it is in natural light or brighter stage lights. In the house it looks VERY close to black - so much so it's hard to see the GORGEOUS flame. Meh, is what it is - but I'd be a liar if I didn't admit that it annoys me sometimes.

This is true of my Chris Robertson SE as well. In direct natural light it's very red. In indirect sunlight it's a dark red. In my apartment at night, with all the lights on, a friend of mine came over once and referred to it as "that black guitar" - there's just a hint of red visible.

 

[Victek]

I have been keeping an eye on the SE Custom 24 Zebrawood at Andertons in the UK. Sweetwater don't seem to be able to get sufficient stock.

The new SE CU24's with "exotic tops" (spalted maple and zebra wood) are in high demand. When I last checked with Sweetwater the wait for a spalted maple top was June. Other finishes are in stock though.

 

[Victek]

Fyi I did return the whale blue guitar and received a new one yesterday. I opted for the scarlet red which is rich and bright (and apparently discontinued now). Based on the date on the inspection sticker it's a 2017 model, and made in Korea. The finish is perfect and everything else is fine too, eg setup, switches, pickups, etc. I only played it through a headphone amp yesterday; hope to have time to plug in to the Katana 50 today and crank it a little. It's definitely a keeper.

 

[jdag]

Fyi I did return the whale blue guitar and received a new one yesterday. I opted for the scarlet red which is rich and bright (and apparently discontinued now). Based on the date on the inspection sticker it's a 2017 model, and made in Korea. The finish is perfect and everything else is fine too, eg setup, switches, pickups, etc. I only played it through a headphone amp yesterday; hope to have time to plug in to the Katana 50 today and crank it a little. It's definitely a keeper. I may start a NGD thread with some pictures

#1 - Start a NGD thread w/pics!
#2 - I personally think you made the right choice in getting a replacement.

 

[Victek]

#1 - Start a NGD thread w/pics!
#2 - I personally think you made the right choice in getting a replacement.

1. Will do

2. Yeah, I feel good about it too. I think I would have been happy with the Whale Blue guitar if it hadn't had the blemishes. It played really well, but this one plays just as well and I'm liking the red better

 

[Ironwolf]

I saw a post on a Reddit forum, pointing to a photo of a PRS SE Custom 24. The back of the headstock indicates that the guitar was manufactured in Indonesia.

Is this a recent development? Are all SE Customs going to be manufactured in Indonesia? What about Korea?

Reddit post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Guitar/comments/7yzvax/gear_ngd_prs_custom_24_se_in_whale_blue_and_a/

Photos:
https://imgur.com/a/K0YHt

To me this is obviously a fake knockoff, nobody here recognizes any mixture or combination of features of the guitar.
The biggest tell tale sign, is that counterfeiters trained in the UK or British colonies spell license incorrectly, i.e. very poor forgers commonly make these mistakes "licence" is never used by PRS it is "license".
I think that one tiny detail is the detective clue.

I'm pretty sure PRS is very happy with world musical instrument co. no need to change.

 

[jdag]

So my new (and first PRS) SE Custom24 in Fire Red Burst is on the way from Sweetwater. They sent me pictures via e-mail, so I did verify the serial number is from Cor Tek in Indonesia. Another difference I noticed was in the picture of the back of the guitar. There are only three springs attached to the tremolo, where every other picture I have seen has four. I also looked online at the PRS parts store and when you buy it from them it includes four springs. It should be delivered on Saturday so we'll see how it goes....

I had posted about being a knockoff either here or on reddit as well...I am not sure where that blue one is rom , but Sweetwater has a red guitar stamped Indonesia.

 

[mtyler06]

I had posted about being a knockoff either here or on reddit as well...I am not sure where that blue one is rom , but Sweetwater has a red guitar stamped Indonesia.

Mine just arrived Saturday from Sweetwater, and is one the 2018's from Indonesia with "licence" on the headstock. It has the PRS factory inspection card signed off, as well as the Sweetwater inspection tag as well. There's no way it is a knockoff....maybe one of the PRS moderators can provide some insight into the switch from Korea to Indonesia?

 

[jdag]

Mine just arrived Saturday from Sweetwater, and is one the 2018's from Indonesia with "licence" on the headstock. It has the PRS factory inspection card signed off, as well as the Sweetwater inspection tag as well. There's no way it is a knockoff....maybe one of the PRS moderators can provide some insight into the switch from Korea to Indonesia?

Thanks for confirming. I should have been more clear in my last post (haven't had my coffee yet)...I implied but did not state that since it came from Sweetwater, I'd highly highly doubt it is a knockoff.

 

[MichaelS]

To me this is obviously a fake knockoff, nobody here recognizes any mixture or combination of features of the guitar.
The biggest tell tale sign, is that counterfeiters trained in the UK or British colonies spell license incorrectly, i.e. very poor forgers commonly make these mistakes "licence" is never used by PRS it is "license".
I think that one tiny detail is the detective clue.

I'm pretty sure PRS is very happy with world musical instrument co. no need to change.

...would be the best fake I've seen. and if you're that good, why fake an Indonesian SE? Figure out the body carve and go for core.
Indonesia obviously has the historical European colonial influence (only 4 years of British btw) vs Korea having US troops for decades, so the spelling is quite understandable.

 

[Shawn@PRS]

PRS is intent on making the best guitars we can and bringing them to market at a reasonable cost. To that end, we have begun working with Cor-Tek on both electric and acoustic instruments. We have spent many hours inside their Indonesian electric guitar factory and their Dalian, China acoustic facility. Both are world-class manufacturing sites, run by very talented people and we respect their long guitar-building history. They have great processes and quality control, but are also open to suggestions and doing things the “PRS way” – a true partner.

PRS was the first to put the manufacturing origin on their import line. We are proud to add Cor-Tek to the companies whose name is found on the backs of our headstocks.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I was gonna try and be funny and say, maybe the “licence” is a “knock off”!

Thanks Shawn, for being voice of “calm and reason”

 

[Victek]

We are proud to add Cor-Tek to the companies whose name is found on the backs of our headstocks.

Thanks for the clear statement. By the way, will the SE line continue to be manufactured in Korea as well or is the whole operation moving to Cor-Tek in Indonesia?

 

[Shawn@PRS]

Thanks for the clear statement. By the way, will the SE line continue to be manufactured in Korea as well or is the whole operation moving to Cor-Tek in Indonesia?

The SE electrics are being dual sourced with some being made in Korea and some in Indonesia.

 

[Sir Stinkalot]

Thanks Shawn .... a couple of pages of posts clarified in a few quick paragraphs.

The reviews often speak highly on the SE pickups. Are they continuing to be manufactured by the same company for both the Indonesian and Korean made SE’s?

No matter where they are being made they are still hard to get hold of

 

[garrett]

PRS is intent on making the best guitars we can and bringing them to market at a reasonable cost. To that end, we have begun working with Cor-Tek on both electric and acoustic instruments. We have spent many hours inside their Indonesian electric guitar factory and their Dalian, China acoustic facility. Both are world-class manufacturing sites, run by very talented people and we respect their long guitar-building history. They have great processes and quality control, but are also open to suggestions and doing things the “PRS way” – a true partner.

PRS was the first to put the manufacturing origin on their import line. We are proud to add Cor-Tek to the companies whose name is found on the backs of our headstocks.

You da man, Shawn!

 

[Sillyak]

Will the savings be passed onto the consumer? I doubt that the finished unit cost is the same in Indonesia as it is from WMI Korea.

Country of manufacture doesn't necessarily determine a product's quality, but it does give some indication to it.

The price we pay for an American made guitar is higher than employee wage and component cost would indicate. A good portion of the reason for this is there is higher investment in the factory; that is, more training, higher quality machines, better QC ect.

WMI Korea is an established factory with a reputation for quality. Lots of brands are making their higher quality imports in that factory. Given their reputation, they can ask for somewhat higher prices and the brands who make guitars there tend to charge more for those models than they do for their Chinese and Indonesian lines. Part of that upcharge must go to the generally higher wages in Korea, but I' also willing to bet that WMI has better trained employees, better/more well thought out machines ect.

It's pure speculation on my part, but I think my line of thought is reasonable. I'm glad my Custom 24 SE is Made in Korea. I wouldn't be against one made in Indonesia, but I wouldn't pay the same price for one either.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I think Shawn will correct me if I’m wrong, I believe Cortek is part of another well established guitar maker. As well as making their own branded instruments, they make guitars for other companies.

I don’t think that PRS would damage their reputation by employing the services of an intermediary to make a range of their guitars, that fall below the high standard that they are known and respected for!

I feel it’s a little short sighted to discriminate against an SE made in a different country, on the supposition that it is potentially made using cheaper labour.

 

[LTigh]

I think Shawn will correct me if I’m wrong, I believe Cortek is part of another well established guitar maker.

Cor-Tek manufactures Cort Guitars, plus all their contract stuff for manufacturers like Ibanez, Fender, and now PRS. Cor-Tek is the well established guitar maker (they, along with Samick, are the largest guitar manufacturers in the world and produce far more than the biggest US companies do in-house), Cort is their house brand that is part of Cor-Tek.

Cor-Tek and Samick used to be the largest guitar manufacturers in Korea until the mid 2000s, then Cor-Tek moved their operations entirely to Indonesia. As to why, you can Google that.